Alice's Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies

For me the perfect chocolate chip cookie is one that is not too flat and not too puffy. Chewy yet crispy around the outside and not at all cakey. And, of course, full of chocolate. Most chocolate chip cookies fail to meet all of the above criteria, but my friend Alice has a recipe that passes with flying colors.

I find that my most favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes always require chilling the dough before baking. Because I am so obsessed with the perfect cookie, I’m usually willing to exercise a little patience and include this step. But sometimes I want a good cookie NOW. This is the magic of Alice’s recipe — the dough works just as beautifully chilled as it does straight out of the mixing bowl. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes the first time I baked them immediately after making the dough. They came out perfectly! My heart was aflutter!

Alice’s recipe calls for more brown sugar than normal, so you get the crispy, chewiness that comes in a good chocolate chip cookie, but there is also more leavening than normal, giving them the perfect rise that keeps them from getting too flat and crispy. It has the just-right balance of ingredients.

There is one other little trick to Alice’s cookies that tips them over the edge: she uses ground sea salt. Every bite has a delightful little burst of saltiness that pairs beautifully with the rest of the cookie. It is pure heaven.

Have I convinced you to try these cookies yet? I can’t imagine the answer is no!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Jane note: I decreased the temperature a bit from Alice’s suggestion based on my oven and how the cookies were cooking.)

Cream butter and both sugars for 3-5 minutes at medium to medium-high speed, until very light in color. Scrape down the bowl and add eggs and vanilla. Beat for 2-3 more minutes. Add all dry ingredients (except chocolate) and mix until just mixed. Pour in chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.

Form cookie balls about 2 tablespoons in size (I used my medium scoop) and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and tops are starting to brown a bit.

Remove from oven. Jane note: when you take the pan out of the oven, drop it straight down, flat onto the counter to force the cookies to suddenly settle. This makes for good texture and a handsome-looking cookie. Let cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then slide the parchment paper/Silpat to a non-pourous surface to complete cooling.

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